Nascar Race News!» Phoenix International Raceway

Change Phoenix? Please Don’t

Journo — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:30:09 +0000

In the midst of all the Chase drama this weekend was a story that went largely under the radar. The Arizona Republic reported on Saturday about possible changes coming to Phoenix International Raceway. The article quoted PIR President Bryan Sperber as saying the track had put together a request for money to repave (the first [...]

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Carl Edwards Breaks Phoenix Track Record to Win Pole

FanHouse Staff — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:15:00 +0000

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

Carl Edwards set a track record at the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway on his way to winning the pole position for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500k.

Edwards ran a lap of 136.389 mph in his No. 99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford to win the top starting spot. In the process, he broke the six-year-old track record of 135.854 mph, set by Ryan Newman in 2004.

"It was a good run," Edwards said. "The car was very easy to drive. Everything kind of lined up for us with this pole run. We had a great draw. The car was perfect and we focused on qualifying the whole time."

The seven-year veteran has 16 career victories, but hasn't won since the season-ending race at Homestead in 2008, a year he won nine races.

"Hopefully, we can end that here," he said. "There would be no better place. I love racing here and these last two races of the season, we'd like to go into the winter with a win, that's for sure."

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Does The Name Caitlin Shaw Ring A Bell?

T.C. — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:04:35 +0000

When the Truck Series heads to Phoenix in another week, look for there to be yet another female racer on the entry list. Caitlin Shaw, a 21 year old driver from New Mexico, will attempt to make her second (yes second) career Truck Series start driving for Mario Gosselin’s DGM Racing. She will join Jennifer [...]

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NASCAR’s 2011 Schedule Takes Shape

Bob Zeller — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:47:00 +0000

Filed under: NASCAR Tracks, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano, NASCAR

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule officially took shape Tuesday as several speedways chimed in one by one with announcements of their races, each taking care to put the best spin on their particular circumstance.

In a flurry of news releases and announcements, Kentucky Speedway announced its inaugural Sprint Cup event on July 9, 2011, Phoenix International Raceway said it would continue to have two Sprint Cup races, Auto Club Speedway in Southern California confirmed it was back to one date and Kansas Speedway said it would add a Cup date in 2011.

Kentucky on Tuesday was the fourth track to make its 2011 plans public when it had a mid-afternoon announcement revealing that its inaugural Sprint Cup race would be on July 9, 2011. The Speedway Motorsports In., track is taking the date relinquished by Atlanta, another SMI track.

The Phoenix speedway confirmed that it would continue to have two races, as it has had since 2005, but that the "spring" date would be moved from April to Feb. 27, the Sunday following NASCAR's season-opening Daytona 500.

And the lights are going out at Phoenix, at least for now. The speedway said both races, including the traditional penultimate race of the season on Nov. 13, would be on Sunday, with a 1 p.m. start time. Its spring race has been running on Saturday night.

"We are honored to be the only facility in the west with two Sprint Cup Series events," PIR President Bryan R. Sperber said in the speedway's news release. "Phoenix will be the first and last stop NASCAR makes in the west," Sperber said. "It's a great privilege for us to help celebrate the excitement of a new season in February and to help crown season champions as the year winds down with the Chase in November."

Auto Club Speedway in southern California confirmed the facts of Sperber's quotes in a brief, three-paragraph news release stating it would have only a single Sprint Cup race in 2011 on March 27, returning to its "traditional" spot on the calendar.

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Denny Hamlin in Pain at Phoenix, Expects Relief Driver for Race

Holly Cain — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

Sporting a grimace and a limp, Denny Hamlin soldiered around Phoenix International Raceway Friday in obvious pain a week after having ACL surgery on his left knee.

The pain was mildly tempered, however, by an impressive top-10 run in the No. 11 FedEx Toyota during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice after running 70 laps. Hamlin left the rest of the driving duties during practice to Casey Mears, who will be standing by ready to relieve him in Saturday night's race should the pain prove too severe.

"There's so much different stuff that we're goiing to do tomorrow morning to help this thing," Hamlin said in an interview session with the media after practice. "I don't know how much better I'll feel, but I know as of today, there's no way I could do it,'' he said of driving the whole 375 laps (600 kilometers, or 375 miles) around the one-mile track.

"It's frustrating because your mind wants your leg to do one thing but your body won't do it," Hamlin said. "It won't do what I want it to do."

Hamlin qualified the car himself Friday, but wasn't as fast as he was in practice, and will start 26th.

"Not the lap we wanted considering how well this No. 11 FedEx Toyota practiced, but we were really loose and that's where we left time," Hamlin said after his effort. "We actually had a good lap going but I snapped loose there and that was enough to hurt us."

Hamlin is scheduled to have stitches removed and his knee drained Saturday morning and is hopeful that will help with his mobility. The awkward climb into and out of the race car appeared as problematic as driving it around the track, and he stood on a raised jack to help him get through the driver's window and into his seat.

Even if Mears drives most of the race in relief, Hamlin only has to start the race to receive the points earned for its finish.

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Riggs/RAB Backlash Is Unbelievable

Journo — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:55:11 +0000

RAB Racing announced Tuesday that Jason Bowles would be taking over the #09 for this weekend’s Nationwide race at Phoenix. Bowles is the reigning West Series Champion and will be making his second start in NASCAR’s number two series. This move of course displaced the guy, albeit temporarily, who had been in the car all season, [...]

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Championship-Worthy Seasons Not Enough for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin

Motorsports FanHouse — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:20:00 +0000

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The cloudy white smoke from Jimmie Johnson's marathon victory burnout at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday seemed to have a double meaning.

On one hand, it was a celebration for all that Johnson has done right in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup as he marches towards an improbable fourth straight Sprint Cup championship in the season's final race next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

But on the other, it seemed to identify a brutal certainty for two of NASCAR's marquee drivers as once again Mark Martin's (2nd in points) and Jeff Gordon's (3rd) collective shots at NASCAR's biggest crown were figuratively going up in smoke.

More Coverage: Johnson in Cruise Control | Sprint Cup Standings

Championship-Worthy Seasons Not Enough for Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Warmup: Checker 500

Motorsports FanHouse — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:23:00 +0000

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup

The Essentials

Race: Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

Where: Phoenix Int'l Raceway
Time: Sunday 3:15 PM ET
TV/Radio: ABC, MRN Radio
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mostly sunny, High 60s
Distance: 312 laps (312 miles)
Pole Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

The Storylines

What makes any NASCAR finish exciting, and any sporting event for that matter, is when the unexpected happens. A last-second shot, a last-second touchdown, an underdog felling a Goliath and even a last lap pass -- yes, even Jimmie Johnson smacking the wall last week at Texas -- all create the unanticipated result that feeds into creating the rush of a sporting event.

Unfortunately, the most recent data we have from Phoenix International Raceway doesn't leave a lot of hope that we'll be seeing the unforeseen Sunday afternoon at the 1-miler.

FanHouse Warmup: Checker 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint Cup Crown Remains Jimmie Johnson’s to Lose

Motorsports FanHouse — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:55:00 +0000

by Geoffrey Miller

Filed under: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup

The chaos of Lap 3 last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway certainly tossed the NASCAR world into a frenzy.

When the dust settled, version one of the No. 48 Texas Chevrolet became version two and both Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon failed to add the word "clutch" to their 2009 resumes, one point about NASCAR's most dominant driver became exceedingly clear.

Jimmie Johnson, point being, is still the de facto guy to beat for the 2009 Sprint Cup championship -- and it's going to take plenty more Texas-like highly unlikely events to keep three-time from becoming four-time.

Sprint Cup Crown Remains Jimmie Johnson's to Lose originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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